Before you start getting all shy and reserved, this is not about a nudist colony wedding. A “naked marriage” is a new Chinese term to describe newlyweds who forego all the consumerist, expensive tradition of a typical Chinese wedding. Do you think you can strip away all the wedding traditions that require you buy a dress, rings, a lavish ceremony and just marry on your merits of love?

Some Chinese youth do, and it’s causing a stir with the older generations. There is a Chinese proverb that says,”Everything goes wrong for the poor couple.” The typical Chinese wedding ritual is to have the families provide all the material wealth to the couple so that they may never struggle. The article described the cost breakdown, “The bridegroom’s family is supposed to pay for a house, or at least the down payment, and a red carpet ceremony, as well as decent betrothal gifts to the bride’s family. The bride’s family may consider funding the home decorating, or purchasing a car if the couple live in a big city, depending on their financial position.”

Given that consumerism can overrun wedding traditions, its a great change to see people focusing more on emotional wealth than financial wealth. Not only that, but these “naked marriages” are also saying “we are adults, time to cut the imbilicord of mom and dad,” which is a great sign of growing independence in today’s youth. The question that remains could you have a “naked marriage?”